NATATORES, 495 



Sp. 656. PHALACROCORAX STICTOCEPHALUS, 



Bonaparte. 



Little Black Cormorant. 



Phalacrocorax sulcirostris, G. R. Gray, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. 



Col., partiii. p. 135. 

 Microcarbo stictocephalus, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av,, torn. ii. p. 178. 



Phalacrocorax sulcirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. vii. 

 pi. 67. 



The Microcarbo stictocephalus is found in most of the sou- 

 thern parts of the Australian continent, and appears to affect 

 the rivers and lagoons of the interior rather than the sea-coast; 

 at least such was the result of my own observations ; I found it 

 nowhere more abundant than on the rivers Mokai, Peel, and 

 Namoi. Its habits did not appear to differ from those of the 

 other members of the family ; it was usually seen perched on 

 the branches of the Eucalypti overhanging the water, and on 

 the spars and snags of the fallen trees which protruded above 

 its surface in small companies of from five to twenty in number. 



Its food consists of fish, frogs, newts, &c. 



There is no visible difference in the colour of the sexes. 



The general plumage dark glossy greenish black ; the fea- 

 thers of the back and wings grey, margined with greenish 

 black; over the eye and dispersed over the sides of the neck nu- 

 merous minute narrow white feathers, which are probably only 

 assumed during the breeding-season ; irides deep grass-green; 

 orbits and gular pouch brownish black, the pouch strongly 

 tinged with blue ; feet black. 



